Removing wowexec.exe

I have a Windows 2000 SP4 PC that has a process running called _wowexec.exe. There is a space in front of the "w" and I'm not sure if this is a valid process or not?I have seen this process before associated with 16 bit programs, but never with the preceding space. If this is not a valid process I would like to know how to get rid of it? I have run the folowing programs: Spy Sweper, SAV 9.0.1.1000, spybot , and adaware.

"wowexec.exe is a part the operating system, and supports the use of 16-bit procseses.This program is important for the stable and secure running of your computer and should not be terminated."

I've seen (if I remeber right) the same process run on my PC, with name " wowexec.exe" (notice the space) and if i remeber right, the process is just under "NTVDM.exe" on Task Manager's Process List like:

...
NTVDM.exe
wowexec.exe
...

Which means just that your PC is running some 16bit applications (with wowexec.exe) that run _inside_ NT's 16bit Virtual Machine (NTVDM.exe).

wowexec.exe is part of the OS, _wowexec.exe however is malicious spyware. Come on guys, that is the oldest trick in the book. (making a malicious filename similar the a valid filename so you won't think it's malicious. Since he put _wowexec.exe in the question we will have to assume that the file name does in fact have an underscore infront of it, which means it is malicious.

After further investigation there were actually two processes running. There was a wowexec.exe with a preceding space that seemed to be valid, and an _wowexec.exe that was also running. I ran avast as was suggested. It did not pick this up, but picked up a couple of other things that it removed. So, I went into the registry did a search and deleted all values containing the _wowexec.exe and also did the same thing on the hard drive. It's gone. Thanks for all of your help. I apologize for not doing my homework on wowexec. I am familiar with liiutilities and should have looked there first.
Thanks Again!

No comment has been added to this question in more than 21 days, so it is now classified as abandoned..
I will leave the following recommendation for this question in the Cleanup topic area:
[Accept: mikeleebrla]

Any objections should be posted here in the next 4 days. After that time, the question will be closed.

NTFS file system has been developed by Microsoft that is widely used by Windows NT operating system and its advanced versions. It is the mostly used over FAT file system as it provides superior features like reliability, security, storage, efficienc…

Tech giants such as Amazon and Google have sold Alexa and Echo to such an extent that they have become household names. And soon they are expected to be used by commoners in their homes, ordering takeout, picking out a song, answering trivia questio…

Exchange organizations may use the Journaling Agent of the Transport Service to archive messages going through Exchange. However, if the Transport Service is integrated with some email content management application (such as an anti-spam), the admin…

Please read the paragraph below before following the instructions in the video — there are important caveats in the paragraph that I did not mention in the video.
If your PaperPort 12 or PaperPort 14 is failing to start, or crashing, or hanging, …